SBIR-STTR Award

The High Frequency (HF) band can offer continuity of connectivity to US Navy, Joint, and Coalition forces when satellite communications (SATCOM) are denied or degraded. Unfortunately, the performance of todays HF systems is hampered by legacy, manual processes for spectrum planning. Long before a mission, communications planners assign fixed sets of frequencies for day and night operations based on predicted ionospheric activity. Unexpected changes to solar weather can render those frequencies unusable once the mission begins. If HF is to provide a viable alternative to SATCOM for resilient command and control, a better approach to planning is required. In the proposed SBIR effort, Caliola Engineering will develop a fully automated communications planning tool that will optimize HF channel selection based on real-time propagation information and high-fidelity ionospheric prediction data from software being developed by the US Navy. Our tool will allow US Navy, Joint, and Coalition networks to rapidly reconfigure their HF spectrum usage in response to changing threat and ionospheric environments.

Benefit:
In addition to the principal Phase III transition target (BRSE), our automated HF communications planning tool could be used to vastly improve the performance of STANAG 4444 networks. Per Section 2.4.1 of STANAG 4444 Annex B, The ability to communicate, and the quality of communications over an HF link, greatly depends on the frequencies usedeffective HF communications requires a process of selecting suitable frequencies. It is therefore surprising that the standard is silent on how those frequencies should be selected! Starting in Phase I, we will include support for STANAG 4444 in our design. As we evolve our prototype in Phase II, we will seek opportunities to license the technology to STANAG 4444 compliant or STANAG 4444 based HF radio vendors such as Elbit Systems, Thales, Leonardo, and L3Harris. We will also explore dual-use applications of our HF communications planning technology on top of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), or by users of the marine radio telephony service. To get visibility into these market segments, we will present our Phase II results at a future HF Industry Association (HFIA) meeting in San Diego, as well as other HF and maritime communications trade shows.

Keywords:
Communications, Communications, RC2, STANAG 4444, ALE, BFTN, Planning, HF, BRSE

The goal of this SBIR is to develop an automated HF communications planner that enables legacy and future systems to leverage real-time ionospheric propagation information and high-fidelity prediction data. This will make HF communications easy, automated, and mission capable. In the proposed Phase II Base effort, we will focus on refining and integrating our automated HF communications planning construct with an existing PMW/A-170 Program of Record. This will be achieved by an iterative, spiral development process that relies on high-fidelity modeling and simulation. In the Option efforts, we will focus on integrating elements of our planning construct with two other SBIR-derived Caliola products.

Benefit:
The proposed automated HF communications planning technology has multiple uses within the Department of the Navy, to include conventional forces and special operators. Additionally, we plan to explore dual-use applications of our technology. A scaled version of our tool could be used, for example, for planning on top of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) or by users of the marine radio telephony service. Telenor Maritime recently acquired KNL Networks and is now marketing their wideband HF radios for use in maritime mesh architectures. This application will need a planner. This is a market that we can gain visibility into via participation in HF Industry Association (HFIA) meetings and other industry trade shows.

Keywords:
Planning, Battle Force Tactical Network, ionosphere, Resilient Command and Control, high frequency, RC2, BFTN, HF